Term to describe/address Nisei from the mainland United States, as opposed to buddha head for Hawaii Nisei.
It has several origin stories: "the sound of a mainland Nisei's head hitting the ground after a fight with a buddhahead, "the hollow sound made when a coconut hits the head of a mainland Japanese American, indicating an empty head," "the sound of a thump to a very hard or hollow head," "the sound made by coal being shoveled into pot-bellied stoves by these Mainland
Japanese-
Americans when they were assigned to housekeeping detachments at
Army Posts," "the sound produced by the heads of two Mainland Nisei being knocked together." The term undoubtedly also derives in part from the
Japanese language sound effect "koton" for a thumping sound. It is still used today.
The kotonks and buddha heads clashed with each other during World
War II, but eventually learned to
work together.
See where that Japanese boy stay? Drop one
nut on his head and it going sound like "kotonk". Dat's wea da kine originate.